Dried Fruit or Fresh Fruit?

jaitken_22

I have been on MFP for almost 2 weeks now and I still seem to be going over my limit of sugar each day. I've been eating fruit and cutting down the naughty stuff, so I was wondering if there is a lot of sugar in fruit??? If so, do you think having dried fruit is better for you? I know fresh fruit has natural sugar so it is ok to eat. I have been eating: bananas, apples, tangerines, plums.. maybe berries are better?? Fruit is so expensive these days too!

Healthyby30

Dried fruit has more sugar. The sugar in fruit is a natural sugar, most people don't worry about this, I am one of those people. I mainly try and watch my sugar from other things such as breads, junk food, etc.

naomihandler

I think fresh fruit is better because it has more bulk than dried fruit so it takes up more room in your stomach.

forthefab5

I think it's really the sugar in processed food you should worry about and dried fruit also usually goes through a chemical process to preserve it. Natural is definitely the better way to go

Kristen04072

i know that I saw a nutritionist a few years back and something I actually retained was that tropical fruits are higher in sugars than the others, not sure about dried fruits though, but I do remember the others were higher than thier counterparts,
I think that berries are typically a little lower anyway, and also are higher in antioxidants, what else have you found for healthy snacks that have helped you curb cravings?

tvanderberg

Fresh fruit and veggies are the best!

jaitken_22

Thanks for that! I just can't understand how I have gone over my sugar limit by lunch time! My goal is 31 and I have gone over that by 21, and all I have had is a banana, 2 plums and a peach as well as a sandwich with wholemeal bread!

I know to watch for hidden sugar as my mum is diabetic and we always need to check labelling when out shopping.

TateFTW

Even natural dried fruit has a ton of sugar, simply because it's just condensed fruit. If your taking fruit and making it 4 times smaller, the same amount of dried fruit would have 4 times the sugar of fresh fruit. It's not a bad alternative when your talking about something like candy, but fresh, real fruit is far more filling.

NutritionDivaRD

MFP doesn't differentiate between natural sugars and added sugars. The sugar in dried fruit is more concentrated because the water has been removed. Fruits are very healthy for you as they are nutrient dense. They offer up a lot more than sugar, including vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. A very healthy choice! It is recommended you consume between 2 - 3 servings of fruit per day so just make sure you stay in that range and make sure you keep to a proper portion size (apples and oranges should be about the size of a tennis ball, bananas about 5", grapes and berries about a cup, etc). I don't track my sugar, I prefer to keep a close eye on sodium intake.

Hope this helps! Good luck!

TateFTW

Thanks for that! I just can't understand how I have gone over my sugar limit by lunch time! My goal is 31 and I have gone over that by 21, and all I have had is a banana, 2 plums and a peach as well as a sandwich with wholemeal bread!

I know to watch for hidden sugar as my mum is diabetic and we always need to check labelling when out shopping.

Wow, that's a ton of fruit. Toss some veggies in there instead. That will cut that sugar right out.

RMinVA

I have been on MFP for almost 2 weeks now and I still seem to be going over my limit of sugar each day. I've been eating fruit and cutting down the naughty stuff, so I was wondering if there is a lot of sugar in fruit??? If so, do you think having dried fruit is better for you? I know fresh fruit has natural sugar so it is ok to eat. I have been eating: bananas, apples, tangerines, plums.. maybe berries are better?? Fruit is so expensive these days too!

There is a lot of natual sugar in fruit: but some fruits have more than others. Berries and citrus are on the lower end, apples are kind of in the middle, and bananas and grapes have a lot more. Fresh is definitely better than dry due to fiber and water content and they keep you fuller longer. Dried fruits are more nutritionally dense (a little goes a long way calorie wise), but serving sizes are small in comparison. And you usually find added sugar on top of what is present naturally.

I also agree with limiting your fruit to 2-3 servings and subbing veggies instead. Fruit is my "go to" when I am craving sweets, but I have trouble losing weight when I am eating a lot of fruit. I have a suspicion, and have read a few articles, that too much sugar can lead to water retention (fruit is a carb so it makes sense to me).

I would urge you to look @ non-fruit sources too. Read your lablels!! LOTS of foods are loaded with "hidden" sugars. "Hidden" in the fact that you wouldn't expect them to be there, or that they would need to add more, but it's all right on the label. Favored yogurts are loaded w/ it!! Better to eat Greek yogurt or plain non-fat yogurt w/fresh fruit.

hpsnickers1

Fresh is always best.

This takes a bit of time but I print out the nutritional content from a piece of fruit - usually from the internet - and then create my own food (I don't post it to the database), enter the nutritional content but leave the sugar column at zero. I have done this with milk also - anything where the sugar is natural not added. It has helped with my sugar column.

I will usually stick with one piece of fruit a day, maybe two. At 1200 calories the USDA servings are 1 cup of fruit and 1.5 cup of vegetables. I try to eat more veggies than that though.

BeTrue2Yourself

I am consulting a doctor during my weight loss and he told me to avoid all fruit juices and not eat as much fruit as I usually do. I do know that I had to give up my raisin bran due to the sugar content, most likely because of the raisins.

jaitken_22

Since starting MFP, I've been trying to eat 3 portions of fruit at work and for my evening meal I make sure I have some veg. I don't know if maybe I need to eat more veg than fruit. Since doing this I am trying to use fresh and natural food as much as possible and not eat junk and processed meals (not that I really ate them anyway). I'm still new to this and still trying to work out what works best for me, so I think the plan for the next week is to try eat more veg and cut down fruit and maybe bring to work carrot sticks, cucumber etc to munch on. I'm not big on nuts but I can try them anyway! If anyone has any suggestions as to what else I can try, please let me know!! You can't beat the fresh food!!!

jaitken_22

Last year I used to drink alot of Tropicana fruit juice because my boyfriend always got it in, but then I realised that it had soooo much sugar and stopped drinking it. So I rarely drink fruit juice, though I do keep a carton in the fridge as it contains alot of sugar, but once now and again won't do any harm I think.

NutritionDivaRD

Since starting MFP, I've been trying to eat 3 portions of fruit at work and for my evening meal I make sure I have some veg. I don't know if maybe I need to eat more veg than fruit. Since doing this I am trying to use fresh and natural food as much as possible and not eat junk and processed meals (not that I really ate them anyway). I'm still new to this and still trying to work out what works best for me, so I think the plan for the next week is to try eat more veg and cut down fruit and maybe bring to work carrot sticks, cucumber etc to munch on. I'm not big on nuts but I can try them anyway! If anyone has any suggestions as to what else I can try, please let me know!! You can't beat the fresh food!!!

The only time I drink fruit juice is if I juice it myself. Fruit juice is lacking the fiber found in fresh fruits and it nearly always has added sugar.

Definitely add vegetables to your day! You should always have more veggies than fruit (3 - 5 servings per day....higher end of the range is better!). Carrot sticks and cucumbers are a great snack choice! But try to get in those dark leafy greens as well (VERY good for you!).

You're doing GREAT by asking questions and making healthier choices as you go. Keep up the great work!

Mindful_Trent

Thanks for that! I just can't understand how I have gone over my sugar limit by lunch time! My goal is 31 and I have gone over that by 21, and all I have had is a banana, 2 plums and a peach as well as a sandwich with wholemeal bread!

I know to watch for hidden sugar as my mum is diabetic and we always need to check labelling when out shopping.

Wow, that's a ton of fruit. Toss some veggies in there instead. That will cut that sugar right out.

I agree. That is a lot of fruit. Fruit is healthy, but it shouldn't replace veggies in your diet. Vegetables should significantly outnumber fruit in the overall balance of what you eat. Especially people on calorie restricted diets - you don't need to be eating the same amount of fruit as what you would eat on maintenance. Ex. - It might make sense for someone on 2000 to 2500 cal/day maintenance to eat 2 to 3 servings of fruit a day, but someone on 1200 or 1500 cal/day to lose weight doesn't need more than 1, maybe 2 at the most.

Fruit sugar is better in that it's packaged with lots of good stuff (fiber, vitamins, etc.), but it's still sugar and should be eaten in moderation. Fruit isn't an eat-all-you-want food.

Regarding the OP's question of dried fruit - my concern with dried fruit is it's way easier to eat a ton of dried fruit without realizing how much you're eating. I could easily eat a cup or two of dried cranberries or raisins, but that's not healthy due to the super high amount of sugar in that quantity. I would primarily stick to fresh fruit, with some dried fruit on occasion, mostly in recipes where your portion will be controlled.

Nich0le

The fresher the better, dried fruit does contain more fructose just by volume and it is a good snack when you are on the go but so is an apple

Grokette

Thanks for that! I just can't understand how I have gone over my sugar limit by lunch time! My goal is 31 and I have gone over that by 21, and all I have had is a banana, 2 plums and a peach as well as a sandwich with wholemeal bread!

I know to watch for hidden sugar as my mum is diabetic and we always need to check labelling when out shopping.

You are eating higher glycemic fruits and the bread also turns to sugar when being digested (and yes it can have an effect on insulin levels)....

You should stick with lower glycemic fruits such as berries, cherries, apples, etc..........

Also, whole meal bread has a glycemic index of 69!!! That is very high.

You are genetically dispositioned to have blood sugar issues due to your mom having diabetes.

Find the glycemic chart and stick to foods on the lower end for best health.

jaitken_22

Thanks everyone! I do tend to eat more fruit than veg. Veg usually gets eaten during my evening meal, but when I think on it, I really don't eat enough! My plan is to cut down on the fruit and occasionally have dried fruit for variety but eat more veg at tea time or to snack on during the day and see how that goes over the next week at least!